Mascherano breaks his duck
16 Mar 2008 - 09:55:48
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has been backed to net more goals for the Reds in the future, having broken his duck in the 2-1 win at home to Reading.
The 23-year-old Argentina midfielder, who recently completed a permanent move to Anfield from West Ham, scored his first goal for the Merseysiders on his 44th appearance for the club.
His 25-yard drive clearly impressed boss Rafa Benitez, who is confident that the South American can add to his tally in the near future.
He told the club's official website: "We have seen before that Mascherano is not bad on the edge of the box.
"He just needs to improve his accuracy and then he could score more goals. If other teams play deeper then he might have space and he can score.
"We have talked about this with him and he knows he can score from the edge of the box, but it's not normal because he is a holding midfielder. He can do it though because he has ability and quality.
"When you have a player for a year and you know how good he is, sometimes you just have to pay the money.
"You see sides who have spent £20million on two or three midfielders. We knew this player was good and we needed to spend the money."